"Mount Canobolas – The mountain, the farms, the people"

Orange & District Historical Society

“Mount Canobolas – The mountain,the farms,the people”

Speakers: - Professor Warren Somerville and Morrie Dally

 A large group celebrates the first Cherry Blossom Festival in 1939 at the Dally family orchard, ‘Bryn Gobaith’, Nashdale. Photo courtesy Morrie and Joan Dally.

The next meeting of the Orange and District Historical Society’s History Alive series will focus on Orange’s very own mountain, Mount Canobolas.
Most people would not be aware that Mount Canobolas was one of the largest volcanos in NSW millions of years ago.
At that time, the ancient landscape was covered with a layer of basalt from the volcano and the mountain is one of the few remnant volcanos still in existence (Bathurst’s Mount Panorama is another).
Orange owes much of its horticultural and agricultural success to the legacy of the mountain, including rich basalt soils, a cool climate and relatively high rainfall.
This resulted in intensive settlement, and until recent decades there were hundreds of small orchards, dairies and mixed farms in the area.
Guest speakers will be geologist Professor Warren Somerville and orchardist Morrie Dally.
Professor Somerville, who grew up on a local orchard, will bring a wealth of knowledge about the geology of the mountain. He has had a life-long interest in geology, during which he built up a huge collection of fossils and minerals from throughout the world.
Much of his collection can be seen at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Bathurst.
He will give an illustrated talk on the geology of the mountain and will bring along rare specimens of rocks from the mountain.
Morrie Dally comes from a Nashdale orcharding family. His grandfather James Dally jumped ship in 1861 and headed to the goldfields at Bendigo. He eventually moved to the Orange district and bought ‘Tregeagle’, in the Canobolas area, in 1912. Morrie was born at Tregeagle, later moving to ‘Bryn Gobaith’, and has been an orchardist all his adult life. Morrie has a wealth of knowledge about the orchardists of the Canobolas area.
Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, and a particularly warm welcome will be given to orchardists from the Canobolas area.
The meeting will take place at Orange Senior Citizens Centre (entry from Woolworth’s car park) on Wednesday, July 8 at 7 for 7.30pm.
There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served.
If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188, email: ibiswines@bigpond.com  

Neural Knitworks | craft a healthy brain

Neural Knitworks | craft a healthy brain

Inspiring Australia are calling out for interested enthusiasts to host a Neural Knitwork. Whether you’re a whiz with yarn, or just discovering the joy of craft, now you can crochet wrap, knit or knot and learn more about neuroscience.

 

Neural Knitworks is a collaborative project about mind and brain health. The knitworks are a creative crafting session where people gather together to create textile neurons following scientifically informed patterns that will contribute to a travelling art exhibition that kicks off in Science Week (16-25 August).
 

They are extending the invitation to communities everywhere to get involved and create some textile neurons towards this project. No knitting experience is required and people of all ages can participate.
 

At these sessions, participants will have the opportunity to:

• design your own woolly neurons
• get inspired by our scientifically-informed knitting, crotchet or knot patterns
• natter with neuroscientists and teach them a few of your crafty tricks
• contribute to a travelling textile brain exhibition
• increase your attention span and test your memory

Dr Ian McDonald from Alzheimer’s Australia told The Canberra Times that ”There’s evidence in all sorts of areas to show that using your brain is important for preventing dementia,” he said. “Knitting is one hobby, amongst reading, video games, crosswords, which are excellent activities to slow brain degeneration down.”
 

Over the past few months dozens of community Neural Knitworks have taken place place, including in Sydney, Orange, Canberra and rural Tasmania. Knitters, crocheters and wrappers have created textile neurons that will form part of a sculptural neural network that will be assembled as a travelling art exhibition to begin during National Science Week at the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery.
 

If you are interested in hosting a knitwork just click through to the Neural Knitworks website for instructions. The initiative has struck a chord and is gathering community momentum with “knit ins” arranged across the country, which you can see on the Facebook group.

See also: http://www.scienceweek.net.au/neural-knitworks/

Free EDO NSW community workshop

Free EDO NSW community workshop in Orange

Central West Environment Council in conjunction with Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange and Orange Field Naturalist & Conservation Society will host a free EDO NSW workshop explaining how the community can have their say about decisions impacting the environment, including decisions about mining, water, and planning & development.

The workshop will also demonstrate how the community can use our new online tool ‘Have Your Say' to effectively engage in decisions impacting the environment under the law in NSW.

When: Sunday 15 June 2014

Where: Environmental Learning Facility (ELF), Orange Showground, Leeds Parade, Orange, NSW

RSVP is essential: Visit http://www.edonsw.org.au/orange_2014http://www.edonsw.org.au/orange_2014 or contact education@edonsw.org.au or 02 9262 6989.

"Boree Cabonne" - The "Run", the History, the Mansion, the Legacy

 Orange and District Historical Society

"Boree Cabonne" homestead at Orange 2012.

You are cordially invited to our first history alive event of 2014 

BOREE CABONNE-The" Run", the History, the Mansion, the Legacy

Most people will know of the Boree Cabonne mansion just before the Mitchell monument on the way to Cudal, Manildra and Forbes. Sadly, the house and property are now up for sale after 157 years and six generations of occupation by the same family. It is to be hoped that the new owners will be able to give it the same tender loving care as has been given over the years by the Smiths, Mac Smiths and McGeochs.

Claims over land in this area by WC Wentworth and Captain Thomas Raine go back to the 1820s, well before Orange was even thought of. Ownership has passed through the hands of the Hood Family before it came into the possession of John Smith and his descendants from 1847.
Next Wednesday Orange and District Historical Society will hold a History Alive meeting to highlight the wonderful history of the Boree run, and in particular Boree Cabonne. This in so many ways tells the story of land claims and settlement in the Central West, giving us the pattern of land ownership that we now have.

We have three excellent speakers for the night:

Dorothy Balcomb, a retired teacher, author and foundation president and honorary historian for the Canowindra and District Historical Society, will speak on early claimants and landholders of the Central West and the nature of licences, grants and titles as they changed over the years.

Russell Moor, author and foundation member and currently president of the Marsden History Centre, will speak on the role of John Smith and Boree Cabonne in the spread of bloodlines from the Reverend Samuel Marsden's original flock, which formed the basis of nearly 80 per cent of the current Merino bloodlines in eastern Australia. He will also speak about the original woolshed, which was one of the first in the district.

Historian and librarian Julie Sykes will speak about the history and features of the Boree Cabonne homestead, with help from the current owners Tina and Andy McGeoch, who because of business commitments, could not be present to give a talk themselves. A wonderful and comprehensive booklet that they themselves prepared will be on sale at $8, with profits being donated to the society.
The meeting will take place at Orange Senior Citizens Centre (entry from Woolworths car park) on Wednesday, February 12 at 7 for 7.30pm.

There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served.

If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Julie Sykes on 6362-1682, or Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188 (email: ibiswines@bigpond.com

Orange & District Historical Society presents -
The Way we Were: Orange in 1927

 Did you miss it last year?
Want to see it again?
This is your chance to view this
rare movie about our city

 
Sunday 3 November 6.30 for 7pm at the Odeon Cinemas, William Street
Sunday 10 November 6.30 for 7pm at the Odeon Cinemas, William Street
For tickets ($15) contact: Liz Edwards on 6362-8647,
email: liz.edwards@orangepeel.it or
Annette Neville on 6361-4341, email: Kevanne40@yahoo.com.au

No tickets will be sold at the cinema on the night



On the Air - The history of Broadcasting from Orange

Broadcasting from the 2GZ Studios Sale Street in 1961

It is difficult to imagine a time when we had no communications short of word to mouth or the pony express. In this day and age we are immersed in a media buzz and have the instant availability of unlimited global information and entertainment over the internet.
 
Broadcasting from Orange will be the subject of the Orange and Distinct Historical society's meeting to be held next Wednesday 9th of October at 7 for 7.30 in the Senior Citizens Centre Sale st Orange .

The first hints of mass communication began with the invention of the printing press in 1446 making possible the wide distribution of knowledge via book sand pamphlets. Very few people could read at this time. The field was revolutionised when, following the discovery of the seemingly miraculous electricity and electromagnetism, the telegraph was invented in 1844 enabling the transmission of coded messages (Morse code) over relatively inexpensive wire. This was quickly adopted world wide. There was an undersea cable between Britain and America in 1858 and between Australia and Java in 1872
 
The first interstate  telegraph line was in 1858 between Adelaide Melbourne and Sydney   and Orange opened its telegraph office in 1860

Direct speech transmission became possible with the invention of the telephone by AG Bell in 1876 and this too was rapidly adopted such that by 1880 there were telephone exchanges in Sydney and Melbourne and by  1900 Australia had 30,000 telephone connections.

 However mass communication as we know it today did not become possible until wireless transmission  demonstrated by Marconi in 1893 and fist used for maritime and Naval applications e.g. the Titanic 1912 and both Navies in WW1

 The first radio broadcasting  stations in Australia ,2FC and 2BL were established in Sydney in  1923. This soon became the rage and there was  explosive growth from the 1920's onward. Australians were characteristically early adopters.

2GZ was the first station opened in Orange with a first transmission  on 31st October 1935. The GZ stood for Graziers as it was started by the NSW Graziers association.

2CR opened with a grand launch for 400 people 29th April 1937 held in the then Strand Palais theatre ( now Salvation Army store) . Television transmission in Australia began just before the Olympic Games in 1956 while CBN8 began transmission in Orange in 1961 after a long battle with the entrenched  stations of the capital cities.

The coming of radio is still vividly remembered by our elder citizens and there are hundreds  in the community who have worked in the exciting fields  of  radio and television broadcasting since those early days. Our speakers tonight are two such people.
 
Doug Spicer had a musical father with regular shows on 2GZ from the late 40's.Following 10 years with army Doug joined CBN8 in the early 1980's as Cameraman/studio manager where he stayed until eye problems forced  him to retire. He then joined  community radio 107.5 FM as a volunteer with regular programs until earlier his year

 Laurie Neville has had over 30years in  radio and television   beginning in 1969 at 3HA Hamilton  Victoria and at stations 2WG 2CA Channel 7 (Canberra), 3UZ 3DB and 3LO before coming to Orange in 1988 as station manager . He retied in 2004 after 30 years in  broadcasting.

     The meeting will take place at Orange Senior Citizens Centre (entry from Woolworths car park) on Wednesday 9thOctober at 7 for 7.30pm.
     There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served.
     If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188 (email: ibiswines@bigpond.com)    or Julie Sykes 62621682 

An Irish Heritage: The Daltons of Orange

 Email below from Orange & District Historical Society.

Greetings all,

As our program comes together the excitement is beginning to mount.
We greatly appreciate your interest in the coming Dalton exhibition being organised by Orange and District Historical Society. This is a brief update about the exhibition and related events so you can make a note in your diary.

The exhibition opening will take place at 6 for 6.30pm at Duntryleague, Woodward Street, Orange, on Thursday 7 November. It will be opened by the Irish Consul-General Ms Caitriona Ingoldsby. This event will be by invitation.
The exhibition will continue daily from Friday 8 November until Sunday 17 November from 10am to 4pm. Entry will be $5 for adults and $3 for school children.
Included in the exhibition, in the adjoining Dalton and Cedar rooms, will be explanatory posters covering the lives of James Dalton Senior, his sons Thomas and James, their homes, the Orange Dalton Brothers’ store and flour mills, the Dalton pastoral empire, the Sydney import/export business, the family’s relationship with the Catholic Church, their support of the Irish cause, their homes and the younger generation, as well as photographs, documents and other items connected with the family.

During the exhibition period, the owners of five Dalton homes have agreed to host guided tours. They are:
Ammerdown: Friday 8 November, 9am, 10.30am, 1pm & 2.30pm
Knocklong: Wednesday 13 November, 10am, 11am, 2pm & 3pm
Mena: Friday 15 November, 11am and 2pm
Emly: Saturday 16 November, 2pm & 3pm
Galbally: Sunday 17 November, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
Tickets will cost $10 for one house, $15 for two, $20 for three, $25 for four and $30 for five. They must be bought ahead by contacting Dave & Julie Sykes, phone: 6362-1682 (email: sjsykes@bigpond.com), or Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188 (email: ibiswines@bigpond.com). They may be picked up at Heritage Cottage, 148 March Street on Wednesdays 10-12.30pm and 2-4pm or elsewhere by prior arrangement. No tickets will be sold at the entrance to the houses.
This is a rare opportunity to visit these Dalton houses and marvel at the stunning architecture and rich interiors.

The society is also hosting two screenings of the popular 1927 silent movie about Orange, ‘The Way We Were’. This extremely rare movie had its premiere in Orange last year after lying forgotten under a house in Condobolin for many years. It shows Orange’s streets, shops, businesses and people as they were 86 years ago. It was so popular that we showed it six times to packed houses. Of particular interest to anyone with connections to the Dalton family is a glimpse of Dalton Brothers’ store, the Dalton flour mill in Peisley Street, and Michael Dalton with colleagues at Canobolas Shire Council.
The movie will be shown at 6.30 for 7pm at Odeon Cinema 5, William Street, Orange, on Sunday 3 November and Sunday 10 November. Tickets will cost $15. They must be bought ahead by contacting Dave & Julie Sykes, phone: 6362-1682 (email: djsykes@bigpond.com), or Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188 (email: ibiswines@bigpond.com). They may be picked up at Heritage Cottage, 148 March Street on Wednesdays 10-12.30pm and 2-4pm. No tickets will be sold at the cinema.

We do hope that you can attend some or all of the above events. The exhibition, Dalton homes tours and the 1927 movie are the society’s major fund-raiser for the year. The funds generated will go towards our continuing work to preserve the history of Orange and District.
Many thanks to those who have provided us with information on the Daltons and associated families. We shall continue collecting Dalton history right up to and well beyond the exhibition dates. I am sure that we have barely scratched the surface of their amazing story.
Best regards

Phil Stevenson
0402412188
(For Liz Edwards, our Dalton project chair who is taking a well earned break travelling in Central Asia until 10th October)

The bygone era of steam trains

ORANGE  REGIONAL  MUSEUM  ADVANCEMENT ASSOCIATION INC.

Saturday 1st June at 1 pm in the West Room of the Orange Library/Gallery complex

An open invitation to all interested people with a love and fascination for the bygone era of steam trains to attend a presentation by a well known train archivist and photographer John Ward.

John, a Sydney based steam rail photographer and now Archivist with the Australian Railway Historical Society, is to be a  guest of O.R.M.M.A. for his presentation.  He will show a part of his collection and tell many of the stories associated with the photographic memorabilia.

John is very concerned, and will talk about the importance of preserving and documenting any photographs, and other memorabilia people may have.  As a volunteer to the A.R.H.S.he has great concerns about beautiful photographs that have been donated but have no documentation attached rendering them useless for preserving and archiving.  He will show and also talk about how all forms of film can be kept of the future.

Some of John's train and tram friends are also coming to Orange for the day.

Please join us for a most interesting presentation.  Entry is a small donation at the door.  

Orange Regional Museum - Concept images

This clip gives the first glimpse of the proposed Orange Regional Museum. The concept plans are now on public exhibition for community comment. Tell Orange City Council what you think at council@orange.nsw.gov.au

View video at: www.youtube.com

"BUSHRANGING IN THE CENTRAL WEST"

SATURDAY COMMUNITY MEETING 27th April 2013

The guest speaker 

 Mr. Colin Moss

Colin is a well known for his expert knowledge of our local bushrangers. Among his long time interest about local bushrangers he has with the Lachlan Living History Group created re-enactments in full 1860 costume at Orange, Carcoar, Grenfell, Eugowra, Forbes, Wellington, Young and Cowra,
In these re-enactments, Colin has played the part of a bushranger and now prefers to be a police trooper. 

Colin has travelled extensively and has devoted a lot of his time to researching the bushranger history and taken many photos of historical locations.

Colin will be enchanting the group with Local bushranger stories on the 27thof April at the West Wing of the Orange Art Gallery at 10-30 am. Tea and biscuits are available from 10 am.
We also hope to have a copy of the plans for the new Regional museum available then.
Looking forward to your support on the 27th April Elaine Kaldy (Vice President of ORMAA)

Orange Show - History display

Any enquiries to Sue Milne

Collections Management - Just say no!

Participants of the workshop. Photography by Tamara Lavrencic.
Image courtesy of Alan McRae.

On 15 March, M&G NSW hosted a workshop, Introduction to Collections Management, at the Orange Regional Gallery, with the generous support of the Sustainable Collections Project. This is the fifth of six workshops funded through a Community Heritage Grant from the National Library of Australia. 

The presenter was Margot Jolly, a Museum Consultant with years of experience working with museums large and small, in a broad cross-section of museum practice. Margot’s experience as a Museum Advisor working with community museums around Bland, Orange and Cabonne Local Government Areas, makes her very approachable and the workshop participants responded with enthusiasm, contributing their own anecdotes and experiences.

Of most interest was the session, Just Say No, where participants focused on refusing a donation and explaining why the object is not being accepted into a collection. It's never easy dealing with the disappointment from someone who has treasured an object and is looking for a safe home for it.

The following organisations were well represented: Carcoar Hospital Museum, Bloomfield Hospital Collection, Millthorpe Museum, Blayney Family History Group, Molong Museum, Orange City Library, Orange & District Historical Society, Canowindra & District Historical Society, and Bathurst District Historical Society.

The success of the workshop is expressed in the following email received a few days later:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I really enjoyed this workshop. Margot is a terrific presenter and she really made a lot of things much clearer...It's great to hear someone who knows what sort of things we have to deal with, and the sorts of problems we have to solve. We really appreciate all that M&G NSW does for small museums, and particularly all the help and assistance we get from you and the others personally.”

- Tamara Lavrencic, Museum Programs and Collections Manager, Museums & Galleries NSW 

The Orange and District Historical Society - 'Banjo' Patterson Birthday Party

Central Tablelands Chapter MA(NSW) - GREAT EVENTS

    From:     Phil Stevenson <ibiswines@bigpond.com>
    Subject:     ctcma   GREAT EVENTS  Lithgow SAf  museum centenary talks 20-21st October Book Launches Orange Library 24th Oct 21st November
    Date:     12 October 2012 9:03:19 PM AEDT


 Hello all,
 
Just to let you know of  three very interesting historical events coming up.
 
First is a weekend of fabulous talks relating to Australian military n industrial history to be held at the Lithgow small Arms factory Museum next weekend . The war cut us off from normal supplies and we had not only to manufacture munitions and aircraft etc but also spares for specialty everyday items like surgical instruments projectors and even shearing handpieces. The speakers are just the best and the cost is very reasonable. Unbelievably there  has only been a small response and the event is in danger o being cancelled. 

I believe it is a chance that is not to be missed so if you would like to attend please contact Kerry Guerin straight away on the numbers /emails below.
/

 Email: lithgowsafmuseum@ozemail.com.auPO Box 564. Lithgow 2790
Ph: 02 63514452
Fax:  02 63514511


The other two events are book launches to be held at the Orange City library.
 
See further details

Cheers
Phil Stevenson
0402 412 188
  

Book now for these events in November

Workshop: Telling stories – developing exhibitions for small spaces
2 November, 10am – 3 pm
Venue TBC (Orange district)

Contact: Alison Russell, Sustainable Collections Project, Orange City Council, ph (02) 6393 8170


Regional Services Stakeholders Day
9 November, 10.30am – 4 pm
Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo

Annual forum for regional museums and galleries to assist planning of regional services and programs in NSW. Suggestions for topics or any issues for discussion welcome!

Contact: Rebecca Pinchin, Powerhouse Museum, freecall 1800 882 092 , ph (02) 9217 0220, email rebecca.pinchin@phm.gov.au

Ref: Regional services newsletter, October and November 2012

Another chance to view Orange’s 1927 silent movie

A bread van leaving Bruce and Tonks Bakery Peisley st in August 1927.
Modern for its time they continued to use horse drawn carts as well.

Photo: Orange and District Historical Society collection

     Orange residents will have one more chance to see the outstandingly popular 1927 silent
movie about the city.
     Orange and District Historical Society will screen the movie for the fifth time at 7pm on
Sunday, October 14 at the Odeon Cinemas in William Street.
     Society president Phil Stevenson said the further screening was due to popular demand.
“We have been overwhelmed with requests from people to show the movie again,” he
said.
     “Some people missed the previous screenings while others enjoyed it so much they want
to see it again.”
     People wanting to see the movie should contact Phil Stevenson on 0402 412 188 or Julie
Sykes on 6362-1682, and pick up their tickets before the screening on Wednesday between
10am and 4pm at Heritage Cottage, 148 March Street, if possible. Those who cannot get to
the cottage may pick up their tickets at the cinema on the night. Tickets cost $15 per person
and include a souvenir program and tea, coffee and biscuits after the screening.
     Phil Stevenson will give a brief talk about the movie before the movie and Ross Maroney
will answer questions afterwards.

Ref: ODHS Press Release

Destination: Orange NSW, 1927

Update from Orange & District Historical Society. We have another sold out showing this Sunday 19th August and will be having another probably Sunday 2nd September.

On Wednesday 1 August, people in Orange will have the opportunity to see rare footage of the town, taken in 1927. The National Film and Sound Archive has joined with the Orange Historical Society to present this special screening of footage that captures a very different place to the city of today.

The charming 35-minute film captures a unique insight into Orange life and businesses between the two World Wars. The silent black and white footage includes aspects such as the local flour mills and bakeries; the ladies of the Country Women’s Association, members of the Orange Municipal and Canobolas Shire council; and well–known contemporary local identities such as Henry Hansen, the founder of Hansen’s Jewellery.

The footage was donated to the NFSA by Alan Press, a projectionist for Snider and Dean’s Orange Cinemas who helped clear out the building when the cinema ceased operations in 1964. In one of the cupboards he discovered a few spools of film, including the nitrate negative of footage of the town. He nearly sent it off to the tip, but decided to keep it and even held on to the reels when he moved to Condobolin in 1966.

In 2006, Press read about the restoration work being done by the NFSA on the feature film The Story of the Kelly Gang. Remembering the nitrate film he had saved so long ago, he decided to contact us to see if we were interested. And indeed we were! Closer inspection of the reels revealed beautiful, clear images of a mid-1920s Australian town, its inhabitants and businesses. Like many other silent films that survive only in negative format, it arrived with the inter-titles spliced together. This was possibly for tinting purposes, where differently tinted individual sequences – in this case the inter-titles – were grouped together in the one run before a final release print was made. They were clearly intended to be intercut with the relevant images.


With assistance from staff at the NFSA, Alan was able to identify that most of the film was shot in Orange and the surrounding district. But the identity of the filmmaker still remains a mystery. Alan and other members of the Orange Historical Society thought the film may have been shot by, or for, a family named Passlow, who were connected with cinemas in Orange or Wellington. Another projectionist who worked with Alan told him the Passlow family made films in the Orange region and that at least one of them may have been a cinematographer.

 Local Orange historians have found references in The Sydney Morning Herald to a film that has shots of Orange shown in May 1927, and some of the scenes listed in the article, were similar to those in the donated footage. It appeared to have been made for or by Edwin Daniel Passlow, the proprietor of Theatre Orange (later known as the Coronet), which opened in November 1926.

Earlier this year, with the invaluable assistance of Alan and the Orange Historical Society, the NFSA created a digital copy of the original film and inserted the original inter-titles with the relevant identified footage. This new version – still a work in progress as there is footage that we are unable to link together – is being screened in Orange on August 1 at the Odeon Cinemas from 6pm, and will provide the opportunity for the public to view unique footage of their town and hopefully to help us identify some of the places and people that appear on screen. The NFSA is delighted to be involved in screening this insight into regional Australia’s past and welcomes the opportunity to gain more information from the public about this original and rare footage of Orange.

 Click to play video.

Ref: National Film & Sound Archive blog.

Riding high for a new vista of Orange

Riding high for a new vista of Orange

  View Orange, the society’s special project for 2012, has achieved much in the first half of the year, and offers some real treats in the coming months.

   Thanks to our very generous sponsor, Coates Hire, two panoramic photographs of Orange were taken by Orange professional photographer Alf Manciagli and Scott Gilbank on 1 May. The weather was perfect, with a fine showing of autumn colour enhancing the photos.

   One photo was taken from the vicinity of the former Dalton’s flour mill in Peisley Street, where the previous one was taken in 1908. 

   A second was taken from behind the Fire Station in Summer Street, from whose tower previous photos were taken.

   Society president Phil Stevenson said the retaking of panoramic photos of Orange was a timely event and would add greatly in years to come to the city’s archives of historic photos.

     “It was great to retake an iconic photograph of Orange as part of the View Orange project,” he said.    “I sincerely thank Vince Lamond of Coates Hire, and photographers Scott Gilbank and Alf Manciagli for supporting us in this venture. We could not have attempted it without them.”

Beautiful as the autumn colour is decided to have a further photoshoot soon because winter photos will allow clearer views of the city.

Seminar
  The second seminar to assist people in identifying, dating and preserving their photographs was held on 16 June. It was a successful day, following the earlier seminar held in March.

   To ensure that no-one misses out on this valuable information day, a final seminar will be held on Tuesday, 18 September from 6.30-9.30pm at Orange City Bowling Club.

1927 movie

   A real treat will be the screening at the Odeon Cinemas in William Street on Wednesday, 1 August of a rare silent movie about Orange, dating from 1927. The movie was discovered by former employee of the Strand Theatre Alan Press, when he worked there in the 1960s.

   It has recently been digitised by the National Film and Sound Archives so that people can see remarkable images of what Orange was like 85 years ago. 

   Society member Ross Maroney has spent a great deal of time examining the images to ensure that the inter-titles have been correctly named and placed.

   The screening of the movie will be a gala event, and a major fund-raiser for the society.
   Refreshments will be served in the foyer prior to the screening and it is hoped that Alan Press and representatives rom the National Film and Sound Archives will be present.

   All members of the society, and the general public, are warmly invited to attend. The cost of $20 will help boost the society’s funds so that it can continue with its work of preserving local history in all its forms.

   Tickets will go on sale on July 2 at Collins Booksellers: mark 1 August in your diaries!

Exhibition 
   The final View Orange event for the year will be an exhibition of historic photographs from the society’s collection and the CWD Negative Collection.

  The exhibition will take place in Orange TAFE College’s exhibition room. It will be opened in the evening of Wednesday, 26 September and continue daily for several days.

 Historic photographs from the society’s collection will be displayed as well as a special segment on Orange in the 1960s, using photographs from the CWD Negative Collection.

  As well, viewers will be able to compare the original panoramic photographs of Orange with the recent ones taken on behalf of the society.

  There will also be a segment on renowned Orange photographer William Bursle.

Ref: Orange & District Historical Society newsletter - Winter 2012 click to view newsletter

How Yesterday Remembers Tomorrow at Orange Regional Gallery

Last week was filled with busy preparation for the launch of our new touring exhibition, How Yesterday Remembers Tomorrow. Opening at Orange Regional Gallery on Friday 23 March, the exhibition features the works of six contemporary Australian artists and collaborative partnerships who are all past recipients of the Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship for emerging artists, presenting their early works alongside recent projects to exemplify how an artist's practice develops over time through research, experimentation and refinement.

 Read more . . .

Invitation to particpate in survey on the development of a Regional Museum in Orange